Carragher apologises to Villa for 'wrong' language

What the report says

Jamie Carragher has apologised to Aston Villa, the club’s owners and supporters after saying he used “clumsy and wrong” language when discussing manager Unai Emery on the Stick to Football podcast. The former Liverpool defender, who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports and CBS, had suggested Emery might want to move on to a bigger job, while also telling Villa fans to “shut up” and saying the club would never be Manchester United.

Villa reacted strongly on Friday, saying they would begin legal action over what they called unacceptable remarks. Their statement, signed by chairman Nassef Sawiris, focused on Carragher’s comments about Emery and the club’s standing in football. The dispute centres on how Carragher described Emery’s possible ambitions and his comments about the club’s supporters.

In a social media post on Saturday, Carragher said his remarks were meant “tongue in cheek” and insisted he was trying to praise Emery, whom he later described as the best manager in the league. He said he understood why the words had not been received that way and repeated his apology. The episode has drawn attention because it involves a high-profile pundit, a leading Premier League club and the way public comments about managers and clubs can quickly escalate into a formal dispute.